


First Meeting

by inkwells_writing



Series: The Mercenary and the Aarakocra [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, First Meetings, M/M, aarakocra - Freeform, arthur is bird boy!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 06:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17116403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwells_writing/pseuds/inkwells_writing
Summary: Alfred knew the “monster in the woods” was likely not that, but he took the job anyways. Hoping for an easy job, Alfred quickly realized he got a lot more than he bargained for.(prequel to Cultural Differences in Courting, but not it shouldn't be essential to read that before reading this)





	First Meeting

Alfred loved helping people. 

It was in his blood- his mother and father had both been mercenaries (his brother hadn’t followed the tradition, instead favoring potion making in a large trade city up North). 

He grew up admiring his parents for the work they boasted about, and when he and his brother had gotten old enough to stay at home alone (with a little supervision from neighbors) his parents hadn’t been able to stay away from their work.

They hadn’t been able to come back, either.

Granted, by then he and his brother were both finally adults, but it was still rough. It was even harder for his brother when Alfred announced he was going to travel and carry on the tradition and the teachings he had learned from their parents before they passed. Him and Matthew had made up, of course. You really couldn’t stay mad at one another when they were all you had left. 

They were in correspondence when they could be, but it was infrequent. It was hard to stay in touch with someone who lived a traveling lifestyle like Alfred, but he found it worth it. The quick and fleeting romances he had were always fun, the friendships he made were fulfilling (and reliable, he often went back to visit old friends), and the places he went were always beautiful.

The excitement of the job helped.

New monsters to fight, new beings to assist, new creatures to befriend.

He loved it.

Even when it got fucking annoying.

Small towns were always very…  _ prejudiced _ . He stayed away when he could, but he was in want of money and it had sounded like an easy job. 

“‘Get rid of the monster terrorizing our town, please,’ they cried. ‘It’s a weakling, but we fear it’s rage,’ they begged. ‘It should be simple for a man of your prowess. The forest is easy to traverse.’ Easy my ass.” Alfred complained under his breath. 

A forest filled to the brim with twisted trees and gigantic roots with dense and low-hanging branches is not what anyone would call ‘easy.’ But, if you lied it’d be easier to convince someone to take the job.

Gods, he hoped the monster was actually weak and they hadn't lied about that too. At the least, he hoped he could convince it to go somewhere else. The villagers were implicit that he kill whatever awaited him, but they also seemed like the type of people who hadn’t tried to talk to it at all, so maybe this would be easy money.

Alfred really wanted an easy job.

Recently, he’d been taking on a lot of difficult ones. One snow golem that was dead set on destroying a town, and a corrupted warlock bent on jealous revenge and Alfred was ready to relax for a bit. Maybe he’d visit his brother soon- it had been a while.

But first, he needed money for the trip. Hence the ‘easy’ and ‘weakling’ target. It fucking better be.

He stumbled over yet another root and cursed loudly at the Gods above, beginning to debate if he should just not help the village. They’d find someone else- it’s not like the town was being burnt to the ground as they asked for his help. It didn’t look like an urgent job. 

And then he heard something. 

He must have alerted whoever was ahead when he heard a quiet swear and muttering (he knew it was a who and not a what because of the very humanoid-language he heard). Alfred froze, listening intently, and then panicked as he heard the telltale sounds of footsteps moving rapidly away.

Deciding to start off diplomatic, he called out, “Wait! I’m here to help!” Not a lie. Just not telling  _ who _ exactly he was helping.

Whoever was ahead didn’t answer, but Alfred heard the footsteps freeze. Slowly, he began to approach, holding his hands up, leaving his sword dangling at his side, as non-threatening as possible. 

“Did the people from the village send you?” A soft, accented voice called out. It carried the weight of unfamiliarity with Common, signifying to Alfred he wasn’t dealing with any type of magic-inclined human or common race. The airy tones remind Alfred of the large towns to the west he visited recently. That ruled out the more aquatic races, because it took a very long time to reach the sea unless you went over the West Hunit mountain range.

Good. Alfred figured whoever he was dealing with wasn’t aggressive (the aquatic races tended to get so on land, likely a result of being more out of their element, and they hadn’t attacked yet). Plus, they were willing to talk. Perhaps this would be an easy job.

“Yeah, they hired me to help stop whatever was terrorizing their homes. I’m just here-”

The sound of crunching leaves filled the air.  _ Shit, they probably think I’m here to hurt them. Shouldn’t have mentioned the village. _

With a sigh, he made chase, calling out in what he hoped was a trusting tone, “I’m not going to hurt you! I honestly just want to talk!” 

Whoever he was dealing with was light on their feet, so they likely weren’t an elemental. It made them hard to follow, as he had trouble hearing where they went at times. But, the more he followed, the easier it was to traverse the forest. The roots were beginning to burrow into the ground, and the branches started to twist upwards. It appeared as if he was coming across a trail, based on how the trees were thinning.

Whoever he was chasing had been living there a while, if they knew the forest well enough to know about a trail in it-

Oh! There was a glimpse. Just ahead, and Alfred was catching up!

“Wait, I promise I’m not going to hurt you!” _ Unless you attack me first, _ he left off. 

Whoever was ahead was very humanoid, and they seemed to be a little bigger than him. That didn’t necessarily bode well in an upcoming fight, but Alfred was skilled. He had taken down opponents ten times bigger than him before, and had almost been bested by smaller ones. Size wasn’t everything. 

He saw the creature, so close, nearly in reach. Still a blur in the shadowy forest, but close. He was staying ahead only by being able to weave through the trees better. Alfred reached out, fingers grazing his target’s wrist, when the creature disappeared.

Just up and disappeared. Alfred froze, looking around, utterly confused.

He’d never had someone do that before. Either this being had a very subtle invisibility spell that somehow didn’t leave a taste of magic in the air, or he was dealing with someone who was impossibly fast.

He was about to continue moving forwards, when he heard the rustle of branches. That was his only warning before a weight dropped behind him and hands were on his arms, yanking them backwards. 

Alfred shifted forwards, dropping into a roll and attempting to squirm around so he could pin down his assailant. He opened his mouth to speak, only for the being to reach an arm up and jab him in the throat which,  _ fuck _ , that hurt. The jab made him loosen his grip, allowing the being to slip out from under him and continue running. 

But not before Alfred finally got a good look at them. 

Feathers. The being was  _ covered _ in them. What beings had that many feathers and  _ weren’t _ birds? 

Deciding to figure that out later, Alfred got up and starting chasing them again. At least now he knew the creature wasn’t bigger than him- it was just the feathers around his neck fluffing up. And it explained how nimble and light on they feet he were.

It was nice to have some form of explanation, as now he could respond in kind.

Now with something to go off of, Alfred was going to move ahead as if the being didn’t want to harm him, and it was likely to continue to run unless cornered. 

He didn’t like resorting to that, but he needed to be able to actually talk to them. 

One more time. He’d try and talk peacefully, but it was obvious the being knew a little self-defense, if his bruised throat was anything to go off of. 

Picking up speed, Alfred listened closely to see if he could hear the being.  _ There _ . Alfred heard them running, and adjusting his direction, he sprinted after. 

Calling out once more, “Come on! I don’t want to hurt you! Just wait a second!” 

Silence. 

Then, the voice again, definitely masculine, “You said the village sent you?”

“Yes, but-”

“You’re a mercenary?”

“Yes, but if you’d just-”

“I have nothing else to assume but you’re here to get rid of me, as the villagers have threatened before.” 

Alfred began to take slow, careful steps in the direction of the voice, hoping he could get close enough to the being to show him he meant no harm. “I did get hired to ‘get rid of you,’ but,” He continued on quickly, “If you’re not violent and haven’t actually caused the people harm I’ll just help relocate you so you don’t bother them.”

A harsh laugh echoed through the trees, causing Alfred to hesitate in his steps, “Why should  _ I _ be the one to move? I haven't done anything except occasionally peruse their market!” 

Alfred saw a gap in the trees, and taking a few more steps, he entered a small clearing. There, in the center, stood a feathered being. 

He was beautiful. 

Dappled feathers trailed down his neck, all fluffed upwards. Hands like talons clutched at a satchel with various plants and flowers, pressing it close it him. Bright (almost unnaturally so) green eyes stared at him, and as they took in Alfred’s armor and sword, the pupils slid into thin slits as he took a step back. A light puffy shirt and loose brown trousers covered skin that Alfred found himself wondering if also had feathers, but it didn’t seem so-

_ Not the time, Alfred. _

“Humans are stubborn,” Alfred found his voice, raising his hands away from his sheathed sword. “It’ll be difficult to convince them to leave. And I promise you, if I go back and you continue to do whatever it is you do to harass them, they’ll hire someone less willing to listen to you.”

The being glared at him, scoffing, “I can handle myself. And I’m not going to let you bully me out of  _ my _ house. Those humans don’t own this land.”

Alfred sighed, “I’m not trying to bully you. I’m just trying to do my job of getting rid of you without killing you- like they recommended, might I add.” Okay, maybe Alfred was a bit too quick to get huffy and bring up how the townspeople did want the being dead. He shook his head and stepped forwards, knowing he’d lost progress in getting him to trust him as he stepped backwards quickly, “Hey, look. Just tell me exactly what you did to piss off the townspeople, okay?” He needed to make sure the being hadn’t actually done anything bad. He didn’t look like he was capable of terrorizing townspeople, but looks could be deceiving, so-

“I said what I did earlier. I simply made my presence known and went to their markets.” 

Alfred frowned, “That’s all?”

“I’ll admit I  _ knew _ they didn’t like me being there, so I’d go mostly to annoy them, but I never hurt any of them.”

Alfred came to a quick decision. “Okay, then. I can help get you out of here and escort you to somewhere else you can stay.”

The being’s feathers, which had begun to settle, fluffed up again, “Like I said, I’m not going to just pack up and leave! I have a right to live here-”

“Gods, you’re stubborn, aren’t you?”

He sneered, “And you’re quite rude, aren’t you.”

Alfred shrugged, “Look, I’m just saying if you stay here it’s not going to be safe for you. Don’t you have family or anyone you can stay with? Or like literally anywhere else to live?”

“No.” His voice was soft, quiet. Alfred immediately felt bad for getting angry so quickly. 

Backtracking, he offered his help again, “That’s okay. I’ve traveled over lots of the continent, I can help you find somewhere you wouldn’t mind settling down at. I know lots of places that are, uh,” He hesitated, realizing he still didn’t know  _ what _ the being was. Or what his name was. He smiled sheepishly, “Can I ask what exactly… you are?” 

The feathers ruffled again, and Alfred watched as the somber look on his face turned annoyed, “You’ve been all over the continent but you’ve never seen an aarakocra?”

A slight memory of an old book his parents owned resurfaced, with Alfred reading through it at night, and while he didn’t remember much of it, he knew he’d read about aarakocra before. Feathered beings, some variations winged and some without. 

No matter how little he remembered, he smiled as if it rung a bell, “Oh! That makes sense. So, yeah, I know lots of places that are totally aarakocra friendly!”

The aarakocra’s eyes, Alfred realized, had expanded back into normal circles, and the feathers had finally began to relax and smooth back down. 

“You know places like this?”

Alfred shrugged, “I been through lots of nice forests. I’m sure it wouldn’t take long to find one you’d like. And there’s tons of cities and towns too. Trust me, there’s options.”

The aarakocra sighed and turned, looking back over his shoulder and motioning with his head, “Alright then. You may stay the night at my house as I pack my things. But, you will escort me until I find somewhere suitable. Protect me from harm and all that.”

“That was my offer.” Although, if the aarakocra’s tone meant anything, he’d misjudged him as a scared and lonely being. His words were commanding, stern in a way that spoke volumes of how little he wouldn't budge. Quickly, Alfred began to wonder what exactly he’d gotten himself into.

As he began to walk after the aarakocra, he heard him speak up, “My name is Arthur, since you never asked for it.”

“Mine’s Alfred.”

“Yes, I do hope you can find me a new home quickly. I don’t think we are going to get along.”

_ Well, not with that fucking attitude.  _

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! this was requested on my tumblr, @inkwells-writing , and if any of yall wanna request stuff you can follow me there and send in some asks!!!  
> also, kudos and comments are much appreciated!!


End file.
